come down in size for better color

[rosy]

Hi,
Need help again. Should I come down in size for color? I have a 1.39 H that has a spread of 7.20-7.24. Unfortuneately it rates a .9 on the HCA & looks very dark in some lightings. I can drop down to a 1.25 F color with an HCA of 1.2 for the same price. It has a spread of 6.94-6.98. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[hoorray]

Rosy, if I were you I would try to look at as many stones as possible. You''ve found that you are sensitive to certain things (color, possibly scintillation etc.), so if I were you I would pick a stone with your eyes, not based on specs. Look at a number of stones in normal, not jewelry store lights, and pick the one that appeals to you. If it means going up in color and down in size to find one that makes you happy, then do it. Some people are very sensitive to color, and others are not at all. It''s about finding a stone that appeals to you, and that is about how it looks to your eyes, not how it specs on paper. There are always compromises on the C''s, the challenge is to find the one that works for you. Others can''t necessarily tell you what that will be.

 

[pqcollectibles]

I went from an H to a J to get a bigger diamond within my price point. I''ve been very happy with my decision.

Lop is right. You have to decide for yourself what you do and don''t like. It''s your eyes that have to be pleased with the result. Not ours.

 

[rosy]

After much thought I''ve decided not to go down in size. If anything I''ll be going down in color to go up in size. Get an I color & hit the 1.50 carat mark. I''ve come to the conclusion that size is what''s most noticeable & once the ring is mounted & on a finger you don''t really notice the color unless you look at it up close from the side & I don''t think that happens often in every day life. Theres something about that 1.50 carat mark that really hits the spot!

 

[bluepetal]

Make sure you are not color sensitive, otherwise you may regret you decision. I have a 2.4 carat round G and the color drives me nuts. I am in the process of upgrading to an E! It drives me batty to see any tinge of yellow.

 

[rosy]

To be honest with you I am a little bit color sensitive, but I also care about the size. I notice that several people that look at my ring will tilt my hand & look at it from the side as if they are searching for the tint. I think that''s kind of rude. But anyway a 2.4 carat is very large & a G color is usually very white, hardly a tint. You must be ultra color sensitive. But I understand why you want that E, not only will people notice the size but will probably comment on how icy white it is!

 

[pepperpower]

Hi all!

What''s the reason for a diamond looking dark? Its body colour? Its shallow cut? Mine''s a H colour, with an HCA rating of 0.8. I''ve noticed that in intense sunlight (or for that matter, strong white light) conditions, it looks dark greyish. Otherwise moderate lighting conditions yield a much whiter appearance. Why is that?

 

[rosy]

Date: 1/2/2005 7:26:51 AM
Author: pepperpower
Hi all!

What''s the reason for a diamond looking dark? Its body colour? Its shallow cut? Mine''s a H colour, with an HCA rating of 0.8. I''ve noticed that in intense sunlight (or for that matter, strong white light) conditions, it looks dark greyish. Otherwise moderate lighting conditions yield a much whiter appearance. Why is that?

Oh boy oh boy, we are in the same boat! I have an H that scores .9 that does the exact same thing as yours. I believe it''s the shallow cut! Gary Holloway has explained that on the upside the shallow diamond will perform better when dirty compared to a deeper cut diamond that''s dirty, so that''s a bit of a plus to having one if you''re not one to constantly clean your ring. I''ve read on other posts that someone with an E diamond experienced the same darkness. I''m convinced it''s the cut & not the body color which you can examine from the side of the diamond. Do you plan to keep the diamond or look for a less shallow one?

 

[pepperpower]

Hello Rosy!

Good to know someone''s experiencing the same bafflement! However since it''s a recently-bought ring (my engagement ring actually), I''ll not likely trade it for a deeper cut, unless years later when diamond shrinkage syndrome kicks in

. Quite apart from this flaw in brilliance, it is otherwise an extremely fiery stone. Indeed, if truth be spoken, I prefer fire to brilliance. Would a deeper-cut, besides looking whiter in strong light conditions, be as fiery? Or would I be trading in fire for brilliance?

I''m a bit confused about Garry''s theory tho''. Am I to understand that our shallow-cut stones are more likely to sparkle when dirt accumulates on the pavillion side, rather than the crown side? If so, I''ll just be more pro-active cleaning the crown, and ignore the underside hitherto,

 

[Hest88]

Pepper, a stone that favors fire over brilliance is going to look darker. Personally, I prefer fire myself.

 

[Hest88]

Rosy, I think at this point the best thing for you to do is settle on a jeweler and tell them you want a stone with a lot of brilliance and little fire. Although HCA scores can help somewhat identify a TIC vs. a FIC stone, the best way by far is just to get the experienced eye of a jeweler on your side.

 

[rosy]

Date: 1/3/2005 8:38:32 AM
Author: pepperpower
Hello Rosy!

I''m a bit confused about Garry''s theory tho''. Am I to understand that our shallow-cut stones are more likely to sparkle when dirt accumulates on the pavillion side, rather than the crown side? If so, I''ll just be more pro-active cleaning the crown, and ignore the underside hitherto,

No, it doesn''t mean that it will look better when the pavillions dirty. It will look better than a deeper cut diamond when the deeper cut diamond is dirty also. He''s not advising that you keep your pavillion dirty at all!

By the way I have noticed this occuring in real life, my sisters diamond is very deep cut & when the pavillion is dirty it barely sparkles! My other diamond I owned was shallow also & that one still sparkled even though it was always dirty. It had a large table, 60% & lacked fire which is why it didn''t look as dark as the one I currently have which is a 56% table & very firey.

 

[rosy]

Date: 1/3/2005 11:46:52 AM
Author: Hest88
Rosy, I think at this point the best thing for you to do is settle on a jeweler and tell them you want a stone with a lot of brilliance and little fire. Although HCA scores can help somewhat identify a TIC vs. a FIC stone, the best way by far is just to get the experienced eye of a jeweler on your side.

It''s not that I want little fire, I want fire but I don''t want it to cause my stone to look dark in certain lightings. Is there some way to combat this or am I doomed? How do you find a stone with equal amounts of fire & brilliance?

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

buy one of each?